Toby box

ABSTRACT

A toby box for use in housing a toby (a stopcock), other type of valve, a meter or other object in the ground has an annular housing having an opening defined by a peripheral rim at its upper end. A hinge pivotally connects a lid to an inside part of the rim so that the lid can be opened and closed. A drainage passage is provided below the hinge whereby liquid and detritis entering about the hinge can drain or be washed away from the hinge to the interior of the housing. This helps prevent a build up of detritis about the hinge interfering with its operation.

[0001] Pursuant to 35 USC § 119, this application claims priority to NewZealand Application Serial No. 502942, filed Feb. 18, 2000, whichapplication is incorporated herein by specific reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. The Field of the Invention

[0003] This invention relates to a toby box.

[0004] 2. The Relevant Technology

[0005] A “toby” is the name commonly given in New Zealand to a waterstopcock installed, for example, at the boundary of a road and a sectionof land on which a house or other building is placed. The purpose of thetoby is to allow the water supply to the section to be turned off ifnecessary for plumbing work to be performed on the section or in thebuilding. The toby is normally set into a hole in the ground, forexample, in a pavement outside the section, where it is protected by atoby box. A known type of toby box comprises a housing within which thetoby is located and a lid pivotally attached to the housing to allow foraccess to the toby. The setting of the toby box in the ground is suchthat when the lid is closed it is generally level with the surface ofthe ground.

[0006] The hinge of the toby box is exposed to the elements. Therefore,liquid such as rain water and detritus such as dirt and plant matter canenter about the hinge and adversely affect its operation. In the knowntype of toby box already referred to, fine detritus can, with time, packtightly about the hinge and prevent the lid from being opened easily,particularly by hand. If the lid is forced open by use of a lever,either the lid or the hinge may be damaged. The hinge can be cleaned butthat can be difficult and time consuming. It is an object of the presentinvention to provide a toby box with a hinge which is less prone tofouling and jamming by detritus.

[0007] It is possible for a toby box to be used to house an object otherthan a toby. For example, the box may be used to house some other typeof valve used to control liquid or gas flow, or as a meter box to housea meter used to measure liquid or gas flow through a pipeline with whichthe meter is associated. In this specification, “toby box” is used inthis broader sense.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The present invention broadly consists in a toby box comprising:

[0009] an annular housing having an opening at its upper end, whichupper end is defined by a peripheral rim;

[0010] a lid;

[0011] a hinge pivotally connecting the lid to an inside part of the rimwhereby the lid can be swung between a closed position across theopening and an open position raised substantially clear of the opening;and

[0012] a drainage passage below the hinge whereby liquid and detritusentering about the hinge can drain or be washed away from the hinge tothe interior of the housing.

[0013] The housing preferably has a substantially circular shape in planview but may have any other suitable shape for the stopcock or otherobject it is designed to house and for the location where it is to beinstalled. For example, the housing may be oval, square or rectangularin its plan view shape.

[0014] The housing preferably has an opening at its lower end. Thisenables the housing to be placed over the toby or other object alreadyin the ground and which is to be housed. Alternatively, the lower end ofthe housing may be closed, whereupon the housing has one or moreapertures in its wall through which pipes or cables or the like can passto the object housed within. In this case, the object would usually belowered into the housing through the open upper end and then connectedto the pipes or cables or the like.

[0015] The housing preferably has an outer flange to facilitate securingthe housing in the ground in use, the outer flange comprising anoutwardly extending peripheral flange located below the upper end of thehousing. This outer flange helps anchor the housing in the ground whenearth is packed above and below it. Alternatively, there may be earthbelow the flange and concrete above it or it may be embedded inconcrete.

[0016] The housing preferably has an inner flange on which the lid sitswhen in its closed position, the inner flange comprising an inwardlyextending substantially peripheral flange located below the upper end ofthe housing. When the lid is closed it is preferably entirely locatedwithin the rim of the housing. Furthermore, when the lid is closed itsupper surface preferably lies in substantially the same plane as theupper end of the housing.

[0017] Preferably the housing is fitted or is capable of being fittedonto a housing extension, such as a length of pipe, which extends fromthe lower end of the housing. In one embodiment the housing extension isfitted to the interior of the housing, the upper end of the extensionthen preferably butting against the inner flange if present. In anotherembodiment, the housing extension is fitted to the exterior of thehousing, the upper end of the extension then preferably butting againstthe outer flange if present.

[0018] The hinge preferably comprises at least one hinge knuckleprojecting from an edge of the lid into a recess in the inside part ofthe rim, the knuckle in said recess being pivotally connected to therim. The at least one knuckle is preferably pivotally connected to therim by a hinge pin and preferably has a hole through it through whichthe hinge pin passes. The at least one knuckle may have a taperedopening to the hole through it, this enabling the at least one knuckleto be snap-fitted to the hinge pin by the hinge pin being forced throughthe tapered opening to the hole. In this case, the tapered opening inthe at least one knuckle is preferably substantially opposite the lid sothat the lid can be fitted onto and removed from the hinge pin when inits closed position but not when in any substantially open position.

[0019] The recess preferably has a bottom area open to the interior ofthe housing to provide said drainage passage and the bottom areapreferably has a floor which slopes downwardly to the interior of thehousing. There is preferably a clear gap between the at least oneknuckle and the recess to facilitate passage of liquid and detritus pastthe hinge.

[0020] The lid is preferably entirely located within the rim of thehousing and preferably has a finger recess opposite the hinge tofacilitate opening of the lid.

[0021] Typically, the components of the toby box are made from suitableplastics materials or metals, or combinations of these, which have beenmoulded, cast or extruded. The toby box is made strong enough, throughappropriate choices of shapes, dimensions, and material or materials ofconstruction to be able to withstand the forces it would usually beexpected to withstand in use.

[0022] These and other objects and features of the present inventionwill become more fully apparent from the following description andappended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention asset forth hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] In order that the manner in which the above recited and otheradvantages and features of the invention are obtained, a more particulardescription of the invention briefly described above will be rendered byreference to specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated in theappended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typicalembodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be consideredlimiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explainedwith additional specificity and detail through the use of theaccompanying drawings in which:

[0024]FIG. 1 shows a plan view of the toby box with the lid in theclosed position;

[0025]FIG. 2 is a side view on II-II of FIG. 1;

[0026]FIG. 3 is a cross-section on III-III of FIG. 1;

[0027]FIG. 4 is a perspective view from the front of the toby box withthe lid in an open position; and

[0028]FIG. 5 is, like FIG. 3, a cross-section on III-III of FIG. 1 butshowing a modified embodiment of the toby box.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0029] The views of FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 are relevant to both a prior arttoby box and the toby box of the present invention. In FIG. 3 thedifference between the prior art toby box and that of the presentinvention is shown in dashed outline. In FIG. 4 the dashed vertical lineL shown in the hinge area separates the construction of the prior arttoby box shown to the left of the line from the construction of apreferred toby box according to the present invention shown to the rightof the line.

[0030] Referring to these drawings, the toby box 10 has an annularhousing 12 which has an opening at its upper end 14 and another openingat its lower end 16. The upper end is defined by a peripheral rim 18.

[0031] The housing 12 shown in the drawings has a substantially circularshape in plan view but it can be made in other shapes. For example, thehousing may have an oval shape or a substantially square or rectangularshape.

[0032] The preferred housing 12 has an outer flange 20. This is anoutwardly extending flange which extends about the periphery of thehousing 12 and is located below the upper end 14 of the housing. Thepurpose or one purpose of the outer flange 20 is to facilitate thesecuring of the housing in the ground in the use. The housing is set inthe ground with its upper end 14 approximately level with the surface ofthe ground. The ground is packed around the housing above and below theouter flange 20 to make it difficult for the housing to be knockedsideways or tilted in the ground or pulled inadvertently from theground. By “ground” is meant not only earth but other packing materialsuch as gravel, concrete and bitumen, for example.

[0033] The housing 12 also has an inner flange 22. This comprises aninwardly extending flange which extends substantially about the innerperiphery of the housing. The inner flange 22 is located a little belowthe upper end 14 of the housing.

[0034] Tobies are set at varying depths in the ground. Rather thanproducing a range of toby boxes having different lengths of housing 12,it is preferred that a single size of toby box be produced where thelength of the housing can, in effect, be extended. Thus, when necessary,the housing 12 can be fitted over the end of a housing extension such aspipe 24 (shown in FIG. 2) with the upper end of the pipe 24 buttingagainst the inner flange 22. The pipe is cut to an appropriate lengthfor the depth of the toby below the surface of the ground. The outerdiameter of the pipe 24 is preferably similar to or slightly less thanthe inner diameter of the housing 12. The housing may be fixed to thepipe by a frictional fit or, if desired, by means of adhesive orsuitable mechanical fastenings, such as screws for example. In themodified embodiment of FIG. 5, the housing extension 24′ is fitted tothe outside of the housing 12. It is shown with its upper end buttingagainst the outer flange 20. Again, attachment may be effected by africtional fit or by use of adhesive or suitable mechanical fastenings.The upper end of the housing extension could be provided with clips (notshown) which are designed to clip over the flange or into a peripheralgroove (not shown) in the edge of the flange. Such clips could beintegral with a moulded or largely extruded plastic housing extension.

[0035] The toby box 10 has a lid 26 and a hinge 28 pivotally connectingthe lid to an inside part of the rim 18 whereby the lid can be swungbetween a closed position across the opening and an open position raisedsubstantially clear of the opening at the upper end 14 of the housing.In the closed position, the lid is preferably entirely located withinthe rim 18 of the housing with the underside of the lid resting on theinner flange 22 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. Because the hinge is locatedwithin the rim 18 at the upper end of the housing it is to some extentprotected from the ground packed about the toby box in use.

[0036] The preferred hinge 28 comprises a hinge knuckle 30, a hingeknuckle recess 32 in the inside part of the rim 18, and a pivotalconnection between the knuckle and the recess, or rather the inside partof the rim about the recess. The knuckle 30, which is preferablyintegral with the lid 26, projects from an edge of the lid into therecess 32. In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the recess 32 isprovided by having a substantially rectangular stepped-out portion 34formed in the rim 18. The sidewalls 36 of the stepped-out portionfixedly support the opposite ends of a hinge pin 38. The hinge pinpasses through a hole in the knuckle 30 to provide the pivotalconnection between the lid 26 and the housing 12.

[0037] The knuckle 30 can be a solid knuckle except for the hole passingthrough it for the hinge pin. Alternatively, and as shown in dashedoutline in FIG. 1 and as shown in FIG. 4, the knuckle can have a lighterconstruction, comprising two spaced lugs 40 through each of which thehinge pin passes. In this latter case it is preferred that the knucklestill have a continuous upper surface 42 between the lugs 40 to reducethe amount of detritus which enters the hinge area of the toby box. Eachlug 40 could be seen as constituting a hinge knuckle without this typeof interconnection between them. In fact, the hinge could comprise onehinge knuckle or a plurality of hinge knuckles on the lid meshing withone hinge knuckle or a plurality of hinge knuckles on the housing.However, a relatively simple hinge construction is preferred.

[0038] A prior art toby box has the inner flange 22 upon which the lid26 sits when closed extending fully about the inner periphery of thehousing 12. That means that the inner flange 20 extends across theinside of the recess 32 as illustrated by the portion 44 shown in dashedoutline in FIG. 3 and also shown to the left of line L in FIG. 4.Therefore, the bottom area 46 of the recess 32 in which the knuckle 30is located is formed as a trough and this trough is a major contributorto the problem already identified. In particular, liquid and finedetritus enter the hinge area by the gap 48 between the knuckle 30 andthe stepped-out portion 34 of the rim 18 and accumulate in the trough.With time, the detritus becomes more closely packed in the trough and inthe gap making it increasingly more difficult to open the lid,especially by hand.

[0039] According to the present invention, a drainage passage isprovided whereby liquid and detritus entering about the hinge 28 candrain or be washed away from the hinge to the interior of the housing12. In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the portion 44 acrossthe recess 32 is omitted in the manufacture of the housing 12. Therecess 32 therefore has a bottom area 46 which does not form a troughbut is open directly to, and preferably slopes downwardly to theinterior of the housing 12. Therefore, fine detritus entering the gap 48tends to fall through to the interior of the housing or be washedthrough by water, whether that be rainwater or water applied underpressure from a hose or other delivery means. Thus, the hinge area ofthe toby box of the present invention tends to keep cleaner of finedetritus than that of the prior art toby box and/or the hinge area iseasier to clean. The detritus that falls through to the interior of thetoby box does, of course, accumulate at the bottom of the toby box butthis can be cleared out periodically. At least the lid can be readilyopened to allow for this to be done.

[0040] In one variation, the portion 44 shown in FIG. 3 need not beomitted entirely for the drainage passage could comprise one or moredrainage holes formed through it to the bottom of the trough. However,there might still be an accumulation of fine detritus in those parts ofthe trough where there are not drainage holes so that this variation isnot so preferred.

[0041] In the modified embodiment of FIG. 5, the bottom of the recess 32is spaced well away from the hinge 28 to leave a large space 52. Thismakes it even less likely that detritus will be trapped about the hinge.

[0042] Another feature of the embodiment of FIG. 5 is the manner inwhich the lid 26 is attached to the hinge pin 38. The or each knuckle ofthe lid may have a tapered opening 54 to the hole through it, thisenabling the or each knuckle to be snap-fitted to the hinge pin by thehinge pin being forced through the tapered opening to the hole. In thiscase, and as shown in the drawing, the tapered opening in the at leastone knuckle is preferably substantially opposite the lid so that the lidcan be fitted onto and removed from the hinge pin when in its closedposition but not when in any substantially open position because ofinterference by the rim 18 about the recess 32.

[0043] In FIGS. 1 and 4, the lid is shown with a finger recess 50 in itsedge opposite the hinge means 28, that preferably being provided tofacilitate opening of the lid by hand or, if still necessary, by meansof a suitable lever. In either case, it is expected that less forceshould be required to open the lid of the toby box of the presentinvention compared with the prior art toby box that has been described.The lid may be provided with means (not shown) to secure it in itsclosed position, for example, a clip or screw. In the former case, theclip could be attached to either the lid or the housing and beengageable with the other. In the other case, a screw would usually passthrough a screw hole in the lid to be screwed into the housing, forexample, by way of the inner flange 22. Alternatively, the lid may beprovided with a bolt or a locking mechanism of a type not readilyincapacitated by fine detritus.

[0044] The present invention may be embodied in other specific formswithout departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. Thedescribed embodiments are to be considered in all respects only asillustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is,therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoingdescription. All changes which come within the meaning and range ofequivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States LettersPatent is:
 1. A toby box comprising: an annular housing having anopening at its upper end, which upper end is defined by a peripheralrim; a lid; a hinge pivotally connecting the lid to an inside part ofthe rim whereby the lid can be swung between a closed position acrossthe opening and an open position raised substantially clear of theopening; and a drainage passage below the hinge whereby liquid anddetritus entering about the hinge can drain or be washed away from thehinge to the interior of the housing.
 2. A toby box according to claim 1wherein the hinge comprises at least one hinge knuckle projecting froman edge of the lid into a recess in the inside part of the rim, the atleast one knuckle in said recess being pivotally connected to the rim.3. A toby box according to claim 2 wherein the at least one knuckle ispivotally connected to the rim by a hinge pin.
 4. A toby box accordingto claim 3 wherein the at least one knuckle has a hole through itthrough which the hinge pin passes.
 5. A toby box according to claim 4wherein the at least one knuckle has a tapered opening to the holethough it enabling the at least one knuckle to be snap-fitted to thehinge pin by the hinge pin being forced through the tapered opening tothe hole.
 6. A toby box according to claim 5 wherein the tapered openingin the at least one hinge knuckle is substantially opposite the lid sothat the lid can be fitted onto and removed from the hinge pin when inits closed position but not when in any substantially open position. 7.A toby box according to claim 2 wherein the recess has a bottom areaopen to the interior of the housing to provide said drainage passage. 8.A toby box according to claim 7 wherein the bottom area of the recesshas a floor which slopes downwardly to the interior of the housing.
 9. Atoby box according to claim 2 wherein there is a clear gap between theat least one knuckle and the recess to facilitate passage of liquid anddetritus past the hinge.
 10. A toby box according to claim 1 wherein thehousing has an opening at its lower end.
 11. A toby box according toclaim 10 wherein the housing is fitted onto a housing extension whichextends from the lower end of the housing.
 12. A toby box according toclaim 11 wherein the housing extension is fitted to the interior of thehousing.
 13. A toby box according to claim 11 wherein the housingextension is fitted to the exterior of the housing.
 14. A toby boxaccording to claim 1 wherein the housing has an outer flange tofacilitate securing the housing in the ground in use, the outer flangecomprising an outwardly extending peripheral flange located below theupper end of the housing.
 15. A toby box according to claim 1 whereinthe housing has an inner flange on which the lid sits when in its closedposition, the inner flange comprising an inwardly extendingsubstantially peripheral flange located below the upper end of thehousing.
 16. A toby box according to claim 1 wherein the housing has anouter flange to facilitate securing the housing in the ground in use,the outer flange comprising an outwardly extending peripheral flangelocated below the upper end of the housing, an opening at the lower endof the housing, and a housing extension, the housing extension beingfitted to the exterior of the housing to butt against the outer flangeand extending from the lower end of the housing.
 17. A toby boxaccording to claim 1 wherein the housing has an inner flange on whichthe lid sits when in its closed position, the inner flange comprising aninwardly extending substantially peripheral flange located below theupper end of the housing, an opening at the lower end of the housing,and a housing extension, the housing extension being fitted to theinterior of the housing to butt against the inner flange and extendingfrom the lower end of the housing.
 18. A toby box according to claim 1wherein the lid has an upper surface which lies in substantially thesame plane as the upper end of the housing when the lid is closed.
 19. Atoby box according to claim 18 wherein the lid is entirely locatedwithin the rim of the housing and has a finger recess opposite the hingeto facilitate opening of the lid.
 20. A toby box according to claim 1wherein the housing has a substantially circular shape in plan view.